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The Chromebook Pixel

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Re: The Chromebook Pixel

#121
post #86

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How do you develop on this? I'm used to using Linux, command line, text editors, local installs of the product I'm developing for, virtual machines, etc... Are you simply forced into using ALL websites to actually develop and unable to use anything else? Seems strange to pay $1250+ to develop on a machine that cannot even run or test the code you write.

Action.IO... Cloud9... Koding...

None of which use the $1250+ machine to actually "run or test the code you write." If you are just using a browser for coding, why pay that much money for a machine to run a browser?

Re: The Chromebook Pixel

#122
post #57
post #14

So, it is real! It looks awesome, but at $1,299, I don't think it's priced well. That's $100 more than a 13" MacBook. I just don't see that much value in a Chromebook at this point in time.

> That's $100 more than a 13" MacBook. Some will see that as "So Chromebook is better than a MacBook then? They wouldn't have priced it that high if it wasn't. I want one". Kind of how some expensive wine is sold. Sell it for $15 / bottle and it gets lost on the shelves among others. Put it in a special glass case and sell it for $120 / bottle and surprise people will buy, taste it and think it is really the best one…

I don't know anybody who only bought a Mac because it was expensive. They bought it because it was worth the expense.

Chrome OS is an unproven platform that doesn't have nearly the popular support of Apple's products, and it's coming from a company that's still fairly new at both software and hardware design. That's not to say this will be a bad product, but this is certainly a risky marketing strategy. I'd love it they pulled it off – I like the thought of a web-only notebook, even if I don't want one myself – so I'll be crossing my fingers and hoping they pull this off.

Re: The Chromebook Pixel

#123
post #116
post #99

Earlier quoted context omitted.

For a much slower CPU and 1/4 the disk, and an OS that has no apps.

I would consider in this calculation that the chromebook comes with 1 terabyte free storage on the cloud for 3 years.

That's basically worthless in a country where people are paying $10 per GB for 4-5 megabit LTE service, or else hopping on Starbucks Wi-Fi access points to get 1-2 megabit service.

I can foresee scenarios where that would be useful: when we have unmetered 30-40 megabit wireless service everywhere. But very few people in the U.S. find themselves in that situation.

Re: The Chromebook Pixel

#124
post #82

This is basically a $1,300 web browser. I don't get it, beautiful touch display or not.

It's a PC laptop. I'm reasonably certain desktop Linux distros will be running on it in the very near future. The screen is magnificent. And I love the move to a taller aspect (it's slightly larger, vertically, than the 13.3" screen I'm using now). The board itself is pretty meh, though. Dual core Ivy Bridge with 4G. That will run desktop stuff, but it will do virtualization poorly. Big software builds are going to s…

But if you want a good laptop in this price range to install Linux on, why get one of these? There are plenty of Windows OEMs who will sell you a better machine (modulo the screen), or you can cough up an extra $200 and buy a 13" rMBP, which has a comparable screen and is technically better in every other regard (modulo 4G, although what's the price for the LTE modem?)

Re: The Chromebook Pixel

#125
Some years from now, people will refer to this (Chromebooks and everything related to Chrome OS) as Google's biggest strategic mistake.

Google's second biggest strategic mistake will be Glass.

I just hope Google would recover.

Re: The Chromebook Pixel

#126
Am i the only one seeing this as a high-end computer with :

- Linux drivers working out of the box

- Amazing screens

- Very easy to transform into a full fledged Linux development machine

I hope it can fit the bill, certainly looks promising from that perspective ! Anybody has a link to full specs ?

Re: The Chromebook Pixel

#127
post #93
post #45

I know this is going to seem like a nitpick, but laptops without magnetic power connectors these days just feel cheap. It's such a simple addition that greatly improves the product. I don't see why larger companies aren't all converting over to them. I know apple has a patent on them, but there's tons of prior art for heaven's sake. I think the only non-apple product out there I've seen with them on it is the microso…

I am pretty sure Apple patented magnetic power connectors, and that this is the reason no one else uses them.

Many of the deep fryers I've used years ago had magnetic power connectors. How is Apple's design different? Is it just because it is "on a laptop", and not "on a hot oil basket"?

Edit: I looked up the patent, and it appears they've patented various improvements to the connector, such as universal orientation (can plug it in either direction), and something to do with the polarity of the magnets.

Re: The Chromebook Pixel

#130
post #86

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>And yet ChromeOS can't do any of these things. Am I just imagining all the posts I've seen on HN from people talking about being extremely happy using Chromebooks as development platforms?

How do you develop on this? I'm used to using Linux, command line, text editors, local installs of the product I'm developing for, virtual machines, etc... Are you simply forced into using ALL websites to actually develop and unable to use anything else? Seems strange to pay $1250+ to develop on a machine that cannot even run or test the code you write.

Chrome has a wonderful SSH client [0], and with a $5/mo Digital Ocean [1] (or other [2]) VPS for all your UNIX work, it's a perfectly capable dev machine.

[0]: https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/secure-shell/pnhec...

[1]: https://www.digitalocean.com/

[2]: http://www.lowendbox.com/

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